Donna Flagg

Discrimination Claims: How to Handle Them And Stay Out of Trouble
March 14, 2008

Say an employee were to make a claim of discrimination against your organization. What would you do?

Well, the way you handle it has everything to do with the way you will be treated by a judge or a jury should it go that far. And it could mean the difference between a long drawn out battle involving untold amounts of money or a verdict that makes the employee go away because his or her claim has no merit.

These are the few simple steps you can take to set yourself up for “best case scenario:”

1. Investigate immediately. This is the single most important part. If it appears as though you ignored the alert, you will appear to be far more guilty than if you took the claim seriously and took action without delay.
2. Collect data and document steps taken. It will be important to show the judge records of who you talked to, dates and outcomes of meeting.
3. Take action when necessary if findings indicate that indeed an offense had occurred. This can be anything from a conversation to a warning to a dismissal.
4. Follow up with employee and post him or her on the outcome of your investigative efforts, being sure that it is clear that you looked into that matter, have determined “X” and that “Y” measures have been taken. 

Posted by Donna Flagg on March 14, 2008 | Comments (0)